Everlasting
by PoptropicaGirl79
Summary: Binary Bard remembers his dark past, causing him to think less clearly. It's up to Black Widow and friends to help him let go of his fears. (Okay, now it stops being cheesy from this point on.)
1. Chapter 1

Binary Bard was in his secret lab. He wasn't working on any projects, however. He actually didn't know what else to do. He just sat at his small wooden desk with his head rested on his hand, just staring down at the papers and pencils cluttered on the desk surface. He wasn't unorganized, but just busy with certain things most of his free time. Still, he'd much rather be hanging out with his friends, even if they'd have nothing to do. He looked up at his dirty walls. Blueprints and posters of the stars were plastered all over them. A few blueprints were of the robots he's built in the past. He remembered all of them. One was namely "Merlin", a robotic owl. Another was a robotic mouse, which he lost. And another was a small red craft that could run on manure. The blueprint that mostly stood out for him was about a rocket. There were coordinates scribbled on the side, as if in a rush. Some of the writing was harshly crossed out, and was a bit confusing to someone else to somehow read it. He didn't like the sight of it, but he couldn't stop gazing at it. It just kept staring at him, watching his every move.

 _Stop right there, scoundrel!_

 _He's getting away!_

 _Leave me alone! Please!_

 _Don't let him on that ship!_

 _Get away from me!_

Binary Bard gasped and jumped slightly back, blinking. The blueprint made him shudder. He got up and climbed the ladder to his room. It was getting awful late. He needed to get his mind off that blueprint. Ever since he looked upon it, he hasn't been thinking clearly. His dinner tasted bland that night, and his vision has just become less focused. His attention span grew short. It wasn't really a good day from that point on, but when he was about to go to bed, he was glad it was over. Black Widow, his girlfriend, hugged him and bid him goodnight, then went to sleep. He lied down on his pillow and closed his eye, but didn't go to sleep just yet. He had to clear out his mind for him to drift off into his own dreams. He hoped that they would make him feel much better. Eventually, he did go to sleep. He patiently waited for his peaceful dreams to arrive.

* * *

 _They are coming!_ he scribbled in his journal. _I must escape to the stars, even though my experimental craft is not ready. I fear I shall not survive!_ Mordred quickly shut his journal and threw it aside on a chair, then grabbed as many blueprints on his desk as he could. He glanced at his robotic owl, who was asleep at the moment. "Goodbye, old friend," he murmured. Clutching the prints in one fist, he scrambled up the ladder and leaped out of his secret lair.

"There he is! After him!" a guard of the castle shouted, pointing towards him.

Mordred ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. Masses of guards were right on his tail. There wasn't anything more terrifying than that moment. He almost felt like sobbing.

"Stop right there, scoundrel!" one guard yelled behind him.

Every second, fear struck his heart. He felt like passing out, but just up ahead, he saw his rocket under a large tarp peeking out from behind the old mill. Motivated, he picked up his speed. When he was finally in front of the craft, he violently ripped off the tarp, throwing it into the thick mud. In the distance, he heard the guards charging closer to him.

"He's getting away!" another called.

Mordred struggled to open the metal door. "Leave me alone! Please!" he cried.

"Don't let him on that ship!"

Luckily, he slipped inside his craft before they could catch up with him. One guard stumbled in front of the craft and started to swing his hatchet on the door. Inside, poor Mordred frantically pressed buttons and flipped switches to start up his craft. He heard the loud bangs on the door. "Get away from me!" he screamed behind him. He was surely scared out of his mind, but he had to escape the kingdom. Moments later, the craft started to rumble. The guards quickly fell back as they watched it lift into the heavens.

" _Beshrew thou, Mordred!_ " one of the guards shouted in the air, throwing down his weapon.

"Good riddance. He most likely won't survive in the stars, anyway," another said, trying to calm the other guard down. They returned to the castle to share the news to the king and queen that Mordred was no longer alive.

* * *

Binary Bard quickly sat up and gasped. He looked around the dark room, which was a slight tint of red because his bionic eye flashed briefly. He saw nothing else than his belongings. All was so quiet, the only thing he heard was the distant chirping of the crickets. He looked down to his left and saw Black Widow, sleeping peacefully beside him. A nightmare! he thought. What a strange nightmare, though. He's never had a dream like that. Not since...

He looked back down at his sleeping girlfriend. The sight of her always made him feel better. He smiled and gently pushed back her scraggly black hair. He lied back down on his side. He was reluctant to go back to sleep, but he was tired and needed rest. Besides, as his mother told him as a child, nightmares aren't real. When he completely relaxed, and the red glow faded from his eye, he brought the covers towards him and again went to sleep. A bit scared, he was for some reason, but he thought it no more than a silly imagination. Perhaps it was the blueprints that caused this? How stupid. What rubbish to think that a single image could cause a man to have a night terror so bad that he could hesitate to go back to sleep. As anyone else would, he gradually forgot about it and once again started to clear his mind before dozing off.

* * *

It wasn't long before the rocket finally left the exosphere of Earth. Mordred's heart still raced, though. He was among the stars traveling inside an unfinished craft. He didn't have any chance for survival. He hadn't any food, nor water. He pressed his face against a round window and stared at the bright stars, as if it was the only thing he could do. This was his time.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he remembered something else that he'd written in his journal he left behind; coordinates. Yes, with just this one pair of coordinates, it could be enough to save his life. He rushed towards the controls and steered the craft to where these particular coordinates would take him. It wasn't a very stable craft, but he was filled with hope. Minutes passed, and he was very close to the planet. A pewter moon, actually. He was full of joy as he hastily approached it. He could start a new life here. Maybe if it also contains alien life, he could impress them with his inventions. He imagined how many inhabitants were there. Thousands, probably even millions! Such popularity he would receive! Such love! Such... power. He smiled at the thought of them worshiping him as the first human to enter their world. Maybe... maybe as a king! Yes, yes! He would take over this civilization so that he would have a great chance of surviving the stars. He cared not if he'd so happen to meet an alien life form. There wouldn't be any human to inform, anyway.

The rocket shook at the speed that Mordred was making it go. He was too busy daydreaming himself as royalty. He quickly snapped out of it when the rocket rattled violently for impact. He didn't have the time to slow down. His heart jerked and bounced back into fear as he saw the pewter moon's grey surface dashed towards his malfunctioning craft. Without any other thought to turn to, he ran to the metal door and desperately tried to push it open with all his might. It wouldn't budge an inch. Seconds later, the rocket crashed on the surface of the moon, with Mordred still inside.

* * *

 _"Oh my gosh! Guys, get over here!"_

 _"Gross! What is that thing?"_

 _"Is it still alive?"_

 _"What clothing it has! And its skin is a different colour!"_

 _"Wait! It's still breathing! I think it's waking up!"_

These voices sounded as if they were getting louder and more clearer. Mordred woke up and lifted his head to look up at the beings staring down at him. All of them had antennae and had green skin and hair. They had big spots on their skin. On their bodies were similar looking clothes, only diverse of their colours. Was he awake? Was this the sight of heaven? Was he even alive?

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

His vision on his left eye was badly ruined by the crash. "I... I am Mordred of Arturus..." he spoke in a weak voice. He turned his head to the right and saw that his rocket had been totally destroyed. He felt like sobbing once again.

"Well, Mordred of Arturus," another said, helping the badly injured inventor to his feet, "I just so happen to have a Rocket Creator on the holopad in front of my shop. If you'd like, you can make your own." Mordred smiled weakly and held the left side of his face in agony, surprised at feeling wetness. He looked down at his hand and turned pale at the sight of his own blood.

"What's that red liquid upon your face?" asked the owner of the shop. He looked up at him in fear. The shop owner widened his eyes, understanding what he was hinting at. "First, we'll bandage up your face before you go." He led him to the front of his shop. They went on a platform, which levitated up to the shop doors and went in. The owner took a roll of clean rags and wrapped it around the left side of Mordred's face. It absolutely stung, but he chose not to express pain. He wanted to get off the pewter moon as soon as possible. After he got all bandaged up, he quietly thanked the shop owner and left.

Completing his new rocket, now built with a blaster in the front of it, he excitedly hopped in and started it up. The beings waved him goodbye, but his focus was straight ahead. After he took off back to the stars, he had time to think clearly again, now that he was in a much safer rocket. Anger was the first to arrive. "Those ignorant people!" he scolded. "They never could understand my genius. They never even gave me a chance! I'll show them. I'll show them all!" He charged the rocket at full speed towards the asteroid belt. There, he found a castle on a single giant asteroid. This castle, he read in a legend, was a mystical castle that belonged in another dimension. He, of course, headed to the asteroid. Here, he would start his new home.

After expertly landing on this asteroid, he started climbing up the pure crystal rocks to scout around. At the top, there was a swirling vortex above a sizable rock with words carved into. He didn't have time to read it, and quickly jumped in. On the other side of this portal, he had been the first man in centuries to see the other dimension. In front of him sat a large dull-coloured castle. In his new home, he began to build his laboratory. But first, he had to change his identity. His clothes, his appearance, and his name. He furiously stormed into the large basement. Luckily, there were many tools in the basement. Just enough for him to build his new identity. He gathered all the tools: a syringe of anesthetic, a hacksaw, and rounded off pieces of metal with a red eye-shaped light mended onto it, which in the past was originally supposed to be for a robotic figure, and went to a large metal table, ripping the now bled through rags off his face. "I'll show them," he said to himself, lying on the table. "I'll show them all."

He injected the anesthetic on the left side of his face and lowered the saw in the middle. He felt no pain, but the feeling of sawing his own mangled flesh off made him tremble. He was a brilliant man, though. He studied anatomy for years in the past. When he finished sawing, he took his ocular nerve and shakily attached it to the back of the red light. Taking off his hat, he fit his new metal face on. He quickly got up and rushed to the cabinet for a small welder to attach his skin to the metal for good.

After he got his new face, he's decided to change his appearance completely. He let his hair grow out, not caring how shaggy it would get. He got rid of his facial hair, too. Finally, he created new clothes for himself. He knew that he needed something out of the ordinary. He settled on a court jester costume, along with a big hat with two bells. His whole outfit was purple and yellow, his favorite colours.

One day, he looked himself in the mirror. He was proud of his new appearance. He barely recognized himself. He stared at his half metal face. If he could create a whole new face, he could create anything. More inventions, perhaps. He had a supply of technology in the castle, but it certainly wasn't enough for him. He needed more, advanced technology. His new red bionic eye glowed a deep red as he thought of the pewter moon. With his intelligence and their kind of technology combined, it could be enough to rule a whole planet alone. Possibly even the universe. He could become the king of it all.

"But if I want to rule the universe, I need to get myself in... royalty first," he said to himself, grinning a wide, devious grin. Of course, he needed to marry a princess to become king. He immediately went to his lab and went to work. After he'll become king, his great genius would never again be rejected. For a great inventor, the Binary Bard.

* * *

Binary Bard awoke and sat up once again. Still, it was night. He began to grow frustrated. He buried his face in his hands. "Go away, go away, go away!" he cried. Black Widow woke up and rolled over to see him. "Mordred! What's the matter?"

He looked over at her with a glazed but teary expression. "Oh, it's... just a bad dream, darling," he muttered between his hiccups. Concerned for him, she sat up and hugged him on his arm. "What was it about?"

"I'd rather not tell."

"Why not?"

Binary Bard stayed silent for a moment, debating whether he should lie to her or not. She nuzzled her head on his chest. "Come on, don't keep secrets from me. Maybe I can help you. I've never seen you like this. You don't usually react like this towards night terrors, or even have any at all. Please tell me." He looked deep into her green eyes. He didn't have any other choice. What would be the harm? Still, he was very vague telling her. "I dreamed that I was... well, Mordred again. I couldn't control my dream, however. It was more like a flashback. Anyways, I saw myself slowly becoming into..." He gestured to his cyborg face. "...this."

"Oh, _mon amour_ , don't let your bad memories get to your head. Keep in mind that everyone else in this house had horrible pasts, too. You're not the only one," Black Widow said, putting her hand on his human face.

"Yes, I know that, but I don't want anymore night terrors like that. What should I do?" he asked.

"Try to imagine something else."

He lied down on his pillow and crossed his arms on the blankets. "Like what?"

She rested her head right next to his and wrapped her arms around his body. "Do you remember how we first met?" she said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

It has been a week since the Binary Bard has been abandoned in his castle. Without the orb, he would never make it back to Earth. Sure, he could just easily go back by simply constructing a rocket and being on his way, but why in the heavens would he do that without the orb's power? He's also even constructed an artificial portal (with the help of dark matter) gating the way back to Poptropica, but he's never used it. Thanks to the Chosen One, namely "Hyper Hawk", the whole kingdom of Arturus despises him even more. He even swore revenge on her if it was the last thing he'll ever do.

Things were a bit boring on his little asteroid castle, but one day, something strange changed his asteroid-floating days for good. Binary Bard was lazily stargazing out in front of his artificial portal, watching as the matter particles slowly passed by. He sometimes liked looking at other passing asteroids for fun. He spotted a sort of space junk floating in the distance, and heading towards his direction. Since he was running low on materials for his upcoming inventions, he went outside to see what it was. As it tumbled closer, he slowly perceived a pink silhouette of a person. How queer. Who would be floating around in space without a rocket? Or, from what he saw, without a spacesuit? He curiously watched this weird figure gradually make its way towards his castle.

The person caught his eye, then frantically swam up to him. This person, for some extremely odd reason was in a full pink rabbit suit, ears, tail, and all. He also had a green and black belt and green goggles. This was by far the strangest thing he's experienced. The silly fellow stumbled on the platform and got to his feet. He looked up at the Binary Bard with a scared expression, then dashed inside the portal, and inside his castle. He chased after him, finding him sprawled out on his couch breathing heavily. He marched up to him. "Who the heck are you?" he said in a sharp tone. He obviously was not an alien, but a crazy man in a bunny costume. He looked over at him without any expression.

"Oh, you haven't the slightest idea how long I've been floating out in space," he replied in a low and laid back tone. Binary Bard was confused. He didn't know where to begin. What was he doing floating around with the stars? Why was he dressed like the Easter Bunny? Who was this man, anyway?

"Do you think you're an asteroid or something? You definitely are not an astronaut. You don't even look close to one!" Binary Bard questioned.

"Calm down, Ye Olde Terminator. I didn't ask to be thrown out in space, anyway."

"Then why the-"

"She exploded my robot in the middle of space."

Binary Bard widened his eye. "Who is 'she'?"

The stranger scowled. "The Chosen One. She foiled my great plan of stealing all of Poptropica's carrots by tricking me and freeing my hypnotized minions!" He sat up and crossed his arms with a frown and flattened rabbit ears, slouched down like a child. "I swear _revenge_ on that little fool."

"You too?" Binary Bard said.

He looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Binary Bard walked over and sat next to him. "Well as a matter of fact, the Chosen One just so happened to foil my great plan, also."

The stranger's rabbit ears sprang up as he put on a buck-toothed smile. "Wow! That's weird."

"Of course. But what you're wearing is weird, as well." Binary Bard pointed out, staring at his pink outfit. The stranger looked down at it, rubbing the soft hand-stitched belly, then looked back at him. "I made it myself!" he beamed. He frowned and looked him up and down. "Besides, why are _you_ wearing _that?_ " Binary Bard didn't want to answer, since he's also made his own outfit. He replied with a shrug.

There was a short silence, but then the stranger broke it. "So I'm guessing that she marooned you on this asteroid?"

"You bet."

"That pest! She thinks that she could brush us super geniuses off as if we were dust particles! Well, we'll show her." he said, rising up to his feet.

"And how do you suppose we do that, Peter Cottontail?" Binary Bard said, glancing up at him.

He looked down at the inventor with an annoyed look. "The name's Harvey." He strike a dramatic pose. "Dr. Harvey Hare." Binary Bard rolled his human eye in the other direction.

"Well, my name is Mordred, but now I am most commonly known as the Binary Bard."

Dr. Hare grabbed his hand and shook it, causing him to stand up. "Well, nice to meet ya."

Binary Bard pulled his hand back and nodded. "Yes, yes. So anyways, how do you think that we could even get off this godforsaken asteroid?"

"That's where you come in. Did you make that cyborg face yourself?" asked Dr. Hare, staring at his face. Binary Bard lightly felt the metal embedded on his face. "Yes, why?"

"If that's the case, then maybe we could make a rocket together. I so happen to be a scientist, too. Maybe we could build a craft of some sort to get us back to Earth."

Binary Bard's bionic eye flashed a deep red. "Now why would we want to do that? Everybody just about hates us!"

"True, but only everyone on our own islands." Dr. Hare started pacing around the marble floor. "So with that said, where _should_ we go?" He thought about this. "Let's see, 24 Carrot's out of the picture..."

"So might be Astro Knights," Binary Bard added. They pretty much hadn't any ideas of where they would go. They used to live on only their own islands, knowing no other, and now, they're lost. However, Dr. Hare was anxious to get his own revenge on the Chosen One, despite of location. He knew that she was an island hopper, constantly going to many different islands. He told Binary Bard to just wing it and get to work at once.

Along the way down the foyer, Dr Hare immediately noticed, laying on the floor, some sort of a giant mech that had seemed to have been pushed to a corner, half covered with a ragged old sheet of fabric. "That's one huge robot you've got there, mate," he commented, and smirked at Binary Bard. "What, are you compensating for something?"

Binary Bard narrowed his eyebrow when he said this. "I happen to be five foot seven," he replied while still looking straight ahead.

The two brilliant inventors have been plotting out the blueprints for days. When it was time for them to start building, it took them much longer. Every day working beside each other, however, brought them closer together. They became from acquaintances to close companions. They would often talk more of themselves, and even joke about the Chosen One. Laughter was induced from either one of them almost every day. Unfortunately, Binary Bard had to give in every scrap of metal he had in his lab for the walls of the rocket, and became very worried.

Success! The rocket has finally been completed. Binary Bard and Dr. Hare climbed into the craft with great excitement. Binary Bard also made sure to bring along his blueprints and toolbox, being filled with all the tools in his lab. "Ready, Mordred?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!"

With an elated bounce, Dr. Hare launched their new rocket out of the artificial vortex, destined for Poptropica. Binary Bard watched as they took off, finally leaving the asteroid behind. It seemed like hours, but they made it to the atmosphere of Earth.

"So, uh, where exactly are we going?" Binary Bard asked. Dr. Hare shrugged. "Dunno, but I'll certainly make sure it's not 24 Carrot or... um-"

"Astro Knights," Binary Bard finished.

"Yeah, that. But anyway, we should be landing shortly," he said, looking out the front window of the rocket. Binary Bard's fears came back. What if they crash landed, just like he did before? He didn't want to lose another part of his body. Even worse, he didn't want to lose another friend.

The rocket landed upon a thankfully different island, one that neither of them knew. After they got off the craft, they explored the island in curiosity. It was night, and very dark everywhere. They could only see black silhouettes of distant buildings, and, since it was a new moon that night, the only lights were illuminated by the stars in the extremely dark blue sky.

"It sure is dark here," said Dr. Hare.

"Yes, but let's venture this island before we can make any conclusions," Binary Bard replied.

"We'll hold any civilians captive if they try to accuse us being villains, then."

Both of them wandered short distances from each other. A large building shortly then appeared from the darkness. "What's this?" Dr. Hare raised his goggles and strained his eyes for a sign on it. Binary Bard lit up a dim light from his bionic eye and looked around, capturing one in front of the building. He ran up to it and read it.

 **COME SEE THE SCREAM!**

"'The Scream'?" he said.

"It's a famous painting," Dr. Hare answered, walking up behind him. Binary Bard looked up and turned off his red eye. "Huh. Then it must be an art museum!" He started to look around the surrounding area, then on the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a faint figure heading to the back of the museum. He approached the figure to get a better look. "Hello?" he said, getting the figure's attention. It just stood there, staring at him and being motionless. He was a bit worried, but he took a few cautious steps towards it, which only caused it to charge and pounce on him. He gasped at it's sudden reaction.

They tumbled backwards a couple times, then it pinned him to the ground. "Who are you!?" it said in an unfriendly voice. Frightened, his bionic eye flashed a very bright red into it's face. The person's eyes widened as the pupils dilated, then it looked away. Binary Bard also covered himself, in fear. A few seconds later, the person blinked a few times, then looked back at him and quickly changed their expression. "You're... not a cop!"

Binary Bard lowered his arms, glancing up at the person who had tackled him. It was a woman with black, scraggly hair and piercing green eyes. She had a beauty mark next to her red lips. She wore a tight black jumpsuit with a mysterious red hourglass symbol in the middle. She glared at him once more. "Who are you?" she asked again, not as stern.

"Uh... I..."

"Let me guess, you're here to put me back in jail for breaking out?"

"N-no, we don't know who you are! We don't even know what island we're on!.." he stuttered, still looking straight at her.

She noticed the true fear and confusion in his face, then released his arms. "Not from around here, huh?"

He shook his head.

She sighed and crawled off of him, jumping up to her feet. He sat up at looked at her with amazement.

She frowned. "Wait. What do you mean, 'we'?"

Binary Bard looked over at Dr. Hare, who had watched her pin him down. Dr. Hare then looked at Black Widow, then crossed his arms and smirked. "Hi. My name's Harvey."

"I am the Black Widow, the world's greatest art thief," she responded. "Well, until I was thrown in jail." She scowled and looked back at Binary Bard, who was now on his feet. "What are you two clowns doing on this island, anyway?"

Binary Bard cleared his throat and said, "If you please, madam, we landed on this island randomly from our coordinates in our rocket. We just wanted to come back to Earth."

She had a slightly confused look on her face. "You came from... outer space?"

"Yes, but we're not aliens, we promise."

Black Widow cocked her eyebrows and stared at his clothes and cyborg features. "Are you sure?" she asked. She had a saucy attitude, but Binary Bard wanted to go easy on her. "Hehe, yes indeed. We were actually abandoned in space by the Chosen One herself."

Black Widow widened her eyes again.

"Hm, I'm guessing that she has thrown you into prison as well?" he asked.

"Why, yes!" She paused for a moment, thinking to herself.

"Uh, Mordred? May I talk to you for a sec?" Dr. Hare said behind him. He nodded and turned to him.

"Okay, first of all, she's hot," Dr. Hare said in a hushed tone.

"Harvey!" Binary Bard muttered back. "We don't have time to flirt with women. Can't you see this is the second person that I've met, so far, that is a criminal on their own island?"

"Yes, but what are we gonna do with her?"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I don't have time to stand around and talk to you abrutis," Black Widow said impatiently. Binary Bard let out a heavy sigh and turned to her. "We're very sorry to bother you... what is your name again?"

"Black Widow."

"Okay, but your real name?"

"I'm not telling you! I don't even know you."

"Well," he began, "my name is Mordred, but I'm known as the Binary Bard."

Black Widow laughed softly and shook her head. "Look, I don't have time for this. Be on your way! I'm going to steal back The Scream." She began walking towards the back of the museum again.

"Steal it? Why?" he asked.

"You're just full of questions, huh?" she said, and looked back at him. "So that when that little tromper comes back to 'save the day' again, I'll be ready for her." She looked up at the sky and curled up her fists. She was a feisty one, and made Binary Bard cower a bit. "What a coincidence," said Dr. Hare. "Binary Bard and I were doing the same thing. But we don't exactly know where she is right now."

"She's an island hopper."

"Yeah. She could be anywhere right now. Who knows?"

"Well, we could always take our craft and find her from the skies," implied Binary Bard.

"Doubt it," Black Widow said, "because look." She pointed at a dark figure beside the rocket.

"Who is that?"

"It's a night guard. He's already found your rocket. If any of you go ahead and take it back, he'll more than likely arrest you."

"But what if we tell them it's ours?"

"Too risky. If you say that, the police will continue to ask you more and more questions, eventually leading to who you actually are." She glared again. "They're going to come in fast. We gotta get out of here! C'mon!" She ran away.

Binary Bard and Dr. Hare chased after her. "Wait!" She was really fast. They passed quite a few buildings, running all the way to the Countryside of the island and finding a small house. She opened the door and went inside, where the two inventors followed. They threw themselves inside and landed on their stomachs, awkwardly looking up at Black Widow when she turned on the light. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head at them. "Now I see what you really look like..."

Dr. Hare grinned. "Handsome?"

"Actually, 'stupide' was one of them."

"And I bet that translates to 'handsome'!" He rolled over and hopped to his feet, helping up Binary Bard. They looked around the house. "Nice place." Dr. Hare commented.

"Thanks," she simply said. She pointed at her long sofa. "You'll be sleeping there if you plan to spend the night. Those guards won't be going anywhere the rest of the night, thanks to you."

"Sweet!" Dr. Hare exclaimed. Although, Binary Bard felt a little guilty ruining her plans. She walked over to a nearby wooden chest and opened it up. She gestured them to join her side with a jerk of her head and a click of her tongue. Only Binary Bard walked over and peeked inside.

There was a ladder leading downwards to somewhere dark. "Behold, _mes amis stupides_ , my lair. Inside contains my gallery of priceless pieces of art I stole myself." She glanced at him. "I don't suppose you want to see?"

"I would! How about you, Harvey?" Binary Bard turned his head to him, only to find him passed out of her couch.

"He's out cold," Black Widow muttered. Binary Bard shrugged. "Yes, well, we have had a very long day this morrow. We spent it building that rocket."

"Oh, you poor things. Well, I'll let the Easter Bunny sleep. Would you like to see my gallery?" He looked at her and smiled. "Sure."

They climbed down the ladder and landed into a sort of basement. Binary Bard saw two chairs, back to back, with rope at the bottom of their legs. Black Widow completely ignored this and walked past it. Going to another room on the other side of the room, they climbed once again to a huge metal door.

Along the way, he took notice of a few henchmen wearing matching clothes with the same red hourglass symbol on their shirts. She took a key card out of her belt and scanned it, opening the door. They then entered a large hall. Binary Bard trailed behind her.

"Here it is," she said, "my art gallery."

He looked around in astonishment. There were many countless stolen paintings and busts. The walls were covered with exquisite designs and patterns, and the ceiling was carved into with extra care and patience. He couldn't imagine how many pieces of art she managed to sneak past the guards and then just slip it in her collection without even getting caught. "Wow..." was all he could say. His actual reaction would be too exaggerated.

"Like what you see?" she said. He looked at the great art thief. "You stole all of this by yourself?"

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes like it wasn't important. "Uh, yeah?" She was very artistic herself, but she was often jealous of other artists, and envied them. She always wanted to be the best artist of everyone else. "I knew that there was always going to be someone better at me with art, so I decided to put an end to it. As soon as I was going to steal the world famous Scream to finally feel confident about myself, that Hyper Hawk had to barge in and ruin it all! I should've known that I'd never be best in anything," she said angrily with a rested scowl in her eyes.

"But... you are best at something," Binary Bard said, walking up to her. She scoffed.

"Yeah? What, being myself? How pathetic."

"Well, no, you are truly the world's greatest art thief."

Black Widow's eyes trailed over towards him. Binary Bard's expression was as firm as could be. She has never received a sincere compliment before, especially from some weirdo she just met. For the very first time, a smile spread across her red lips for a couple seconds. This only impressed him even more. Her smile only made her lovelier than before. She no longer looked like a threat to him, but now, as a friend. The moment only lasted when she stopped and noticed the silence about. "Well, I think you've seen enough. Let's go." She brushed past him to go.

"Wait, could you do that more often?" he asked her. She slowed down her pace and looked over her shoulder. "What, push you? I'd love to."

"No, smile."

"Why?"

"Because..." At first he was hesitant, but he couldn't tell a lie. "Because you have a beautiful smile."

She sneered. "Look, Romeo, don't try to flirt with me. I already know you all too well."

He said, "I'm not trying to flirt, I'm just telling you the truth."

She hated it when men tried to hit on her. Even her royal henchmen would try to woo her at inappropriate times. It irritated her very much. But this guy? He had the most mush to try to share with her. She just shook her head at his silly comment and proceeded out the door. Binary Bard was right, she was indeed a feisty one. Intense, too. He liked her.

* * *

Black Widow and Binary Bard climbed out of the false chest and hopped on the wooden floor. "So, I don't want you two staying at my house for the rest of my life. You got a plan for tomorrow?" she asked, looking out of her window, then drawing back the curtains. He realized that he and Dr. Hare hadn't really thought of that. They didn't really plan their escape out. Where would they live?

"I need assistance with that, Miss Widow. And I'm afraid that poor Harvey is out cold for the night." They both turned to him, who was indeed lying on his side with one arm and leg dangling off the couch, and his mouth agape.

"So what do you expect me to do?" she asked Binary Bard, folding her arms. He laughed quietly shaking his head. "Oh, you're too cute. I need you to help me plot out what we're going to do on this island."

"You're kidding me, right? I don't know how to build a rocket or a helicopter or however the heck you guys travel!" She tried to go up to her bedroom to not endure all his nonsense, but he persistently followed. "That may be, but you're not helping me build a craft of some sort; you're helping me plot our domination of this island."

She stopped at the top of the staircase and looked down at him. "Domination..?"

"Oh, yes," he said in a low voice, walking up the steps and developing an evil smirk on his face, with his bionic eye beginning to once again glow a deep red. He stood in front of her. "Once Dr. Hare and I take over this island, and soon all of Poptropica, we'll be very sure that you get _your_ part."

She was interested in this little bargain he was making her. She too smirked deviously. "And what's that?"

"All the art in the world. Not just of this island, but all of Poptropica!"

Stealing great art was her life, but what would she do after that? Possibly claim it as her own. Better yet, redesign it in her own creativity of the mind. She chuckled and put her hands on her hips. "I'm listening, Mr. Bard. What do I need to do?"

He nodded and took out one of his empty blueprints, laying it across her flat wooden desk and had a seat in a wooden chair. "Come, pull up a chair," he said.

"What do you think I am, a little girl? I'd rather stand," Black Widow said. He was taken back by her snappy attitude, and let her do whatever she wanted. As this was her house, and she was a very interesting woman.

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

No, I am not adding new chapters to this ol' story; I'm just dividing it to make it easier to read. And in case you don't know, this was actually one of the first stories I made; well, my _third_ one, to be exact. Believe it or not, when I first started out here, I had no idea that you could break stories into chapters. So when I discovered it, I was _so_ mad XD I've been working all day to separate these parts into chapters and proofread the paragraphs, just to make it clearer. Glad I finally got this off my chest, amirite? :-D

...I am such a procrastinator.


	3. Chapter 3

It was 10:41 at night. It wasn't exactly late at night, but it was nearly pitch black outside. Dr. Harvey Hare lay peacefully sprawled out on a couch downstairs, softly snoring away into his dreams. Unfortunately, it was one of his least favorite dreams, of that involving ants. He has always hated that dream, mostly because he hated insects. As he lay there undisturbed, the notorious Binary Bard and Black Widow stood in front of scribbled-on blueprints, planning domination across Poptropica. Binary Bard traced the blueprint with his pencil, stabbing at certain locations and explaining what to do while Black Widow watched. "...then we make our way to the police station, undetected, and tie up all of the guards, so that there would be less defense of the island..."

"And what about the ones in the museum?" she questioned.

"We shall attack them as well and lock them away. Perhaps in a supply closet."

"Alright. All before sunrise?"

"Of course. And, estimating how long it would take to get rid of all of them on this island, it would take approximately..." He started to write down an equation on a corner of the paper and circle the answer. "...Eight hours." Black Widow looked down at his work and thought for a moment.

"Nine," she said.

"Hmm?"

"It'd take nine hours to tie them all up." She took the pencil from his hand, erased parts of his equation that looked wrong to her, and fixed it. "You've... made a small mistake here," she added. Binary Bard stared at it, then pulled out his small calculator from his pocket. He looked at her. "By stars, you're right!"

She shrugged. "I'm not that good at math, so don't expect me to estimate anything else."

He just smiled. "Oh, it's fine, Black Widow."

Black Widow looked over at him. His right eye was brown, but his left eye was red and bionic. "Did you, uh..." She kept her focus on his left eye.

"Did I make it myself?" he finished. "Why, yes, I did."

"Wow..." was all she could say.

"Like what you see?" he said, laughing. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Because I do," he added. She looked at him once again. He was too distracted to say anything else. Black Widow sighed as her eyes traveled to the floor.

"Charlotte," she said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"My name is Charlotte."

Looking back at him, she no longer had a smile on her face, but a relaxed expression. She wondered why they even asked her such a thing. It was no big deal.

"That's a beautiful name," he commented.

"Thank you..." she said, and looked on her wall to read her clock. "So... we get up at midnight?"

"Well yes, but..." Binary Bard noticed the dark circles under her tired eyes. Two hours of sleep won't do any good for her. She might've also had a rough day today. Breaking out of jail, then getting her plans ruined by him and Harvey. Poor girl. "We don't have to do it tonight," he said. Black Widow narrowed her eyebrows. "But we have to! Don't you want to get off this island as soon as possible?"

"Yes. But you need to think of yourself, too. You'll need much more than two hours of sleep. We'll try tomorrow night," he concluded.

"What? No, I-" She was interrupted by a sudden yawn. Binary Bard stood up and lifted Black Widow off her feet. "Hey!"

He carried her to her bed and put her down, causing her to bounce slightly up and down with the mattress. "Come on, now. We can't rule Poptropica when you're exhausted like this. Off to bed with you." He kneeled down to her level.

She turned her head at him and glared. "But I'm not..!"

Binary Bard put his hand on Black Widow's face and pushed back her hair. "Go to sleep, please."

She sighed heavily. "Fine." She was really stubborn when it came to not finishing something she wanted to do. She always wanted her way. "Good night, Charlotte." Her gleaming eyes darted in his direction, then relaxed again.

"Good night, Mordred," she replied coolly. He leaned on the bed frame to push himself up and out of her face.

"Mordred?" she said, sitting up.

He stopped and looked at her. "Yes?"

She quickly leaned towards the inventor and without knowing, gently kissed his human face. He suddenly blushed as red as his bionic eye and looked at her in confusion. He, however, wasn't the only one.

"Now... get out of my room," she ordered, laying back down on her pillow. Backing up and running into the desk and a chair, he turned to lean on the rail and stumbled down the stairs. It was like he wasn't thinking clearly. Or even thinking at all. He staggered to the couch that Dr. Hare was currently sleeping on and plopped down.

He lied back for a second. Everything had gone pink. Had he fallen ill? He doubted it. Ever since he's been on this island, he couldn't feel any better. He tilted his head and stared at the ceiling blankly. The couch cushions began to shift slightly. Dr. Hare yawned and rested his arms and head on his bent up knee. "Hey, Mordred. Still up?"

Binary Bard gave no reply.

Dr. Hare sat up straight. "Uh... are you alright there?" Still no response whatsoever. He started to wonder if he was even alive. He started snapping his fingers in front of his face. Binary Bard only blinked his human eye and said in a moderate tone, "What..? Why are you awake?"

Dr. Hare didn't know why he was acting like this. Back when they were constructing their rocket, when they would happen to stay up as late as past 1:00 in the morning (in Poptropica time), Binary Bard wouldn't act at all like this. "What's the matter with you? You find out anything surprising about our new friend?"

Binary Bard flicked his arm up and pointed at the right side of his face. "It's not about me, it's Black Widow. She kissed me," he stammered. Dr. Hare arched his eyebrows. Not surprised that she did that, but of how he's taking it. "Really? So what you're saying is that you've never been kissed by a girl before?" There wasn't any full grown man he had met that would have this reaction to being kissed by a girl.

"Have _you?_ " Binary Bard asked. Dr. Hare wilted his rabbit ears. "Touché. But what's the big deal? It's just a kiss. It wasn't even on your mouth, I hope. It's not like the world's gonna end or anything." Binary Bard wheezed lightly and looked at him with the most shocked expression he'd ever seen in his life. It was like he saw a ghost or something. He was pink in the face, however. It looked very funny. Dr. Hare was in denial of his childish behavior, but didn't want to be a part of it, either. It would be more than awkward.

"Just go to sleep already, lover boy. We've got a busy day in the morning." He lay back down on the sofa in his dangling position. "I'm not the love doctor. I'm just the Doctor. So don't be coming to me to ask me for advice on how to ask a girl out," he muttered. Binary Bard frowned upon his body that was devouring most of where he lay and vigorously pushed his legs aside. "Well you could at least make room for me!"

"But I'm so comfy!" Dr. Hare mimicked in a little girl's voice. In response, Binary Bard shoved him almost off the sofa. "Hey, hey! Watch it!"

Binary Bard turned his smirk upright mockingly as he curled up in the corner of the couch. " _You_ watch it. I got less sleep than you did. You were hibernating over here like it was winter!"

Dr. Hare grinned and pushed himself to the other corner. "You're as sassy as Black Widow! Sheesh, maybe you guys _would_ be a good couple after all." He swung his legs over and on Binary Bard's lap. He chuckled and shoved them to his own side. What a tease, both Dr. Hare and Black Widow were to him.

* * *

Black Widow tossed and turned in her covers. She had a mind still rambling about what she had just done. The world's greatest art thief showing affection for someone else? Please, she couldn't possibly like this guy, or even had _feelings_ for him. That would be ridiculous. She reminded herself over and over that she just met these two goofballs a few hours ago. She did not even know if Binary Bard her type.

On the other hand, he was really sweet. Black Widow pictured in her head his image; his brown, shaggy hair poking out of the backsides of his big court jester hat, his dreamy, brown eye on the right, beside his vibrant red bionic eye that sat on his metallic cyborg face, and his sincere smile...

How pathetic! She could not go soft that easily. She will not stand up for this mush. She's a strong woman, not some prissy Juliet. Though, it wouldn't be very wise to just spit insults at them in the morning. They both are [genius] inventors from outer space. If she did something stupid like that, Binary Bard could cut her out of his plan. Maybe if she was to, per se, show less passion to them, they wouldn't assume that she was actually soft in the inside. She always meant business, and now was the time to show it.

* * *

The two inventors woke up a tad late in the morning. Dr. Hare gleefully hopped off the couch to stretch out and prepare for the bright and sunny day. Binary Bard, however, had a fuzzy vision hazing in his eyes. He wasn't exactly a morning person. Back when he used to make inventions for a living, he would usually stay up all night for plotting out his creations. He didn't acknowledge his tiredness since he very much enjoyed doing what he mourned to.

 _Until those ignorant people..._

He reached himself sitting up and on his feet. There, he was met up by Dr. Hare, the morning person.

"Well, look who's up and about this fine morning!" he beamed.

Binary Bard wasn't really in the mood right now for jumping around. Neither could he understand people who exercise in the morning. He took off his hat and scratched his head. "Yes, good morrow, I suppose..."

"So what are we gonna do today?"

"Going out. But we'll need to disguise ourselves from the open."

Dr. Hare cocked his head. "Why would we do that? We're not outlaws on this island."

"Yes, but look at our clothes. We look like children getting 'tricks or treats'," Binary Bard pointed out.

Dr. Hare again glanced down at his cuddly outfit. He hardly ever took it off, except for when he has to shower. He also wore it to express his evil identity. He wanted to strike fear into everyone's hearts with just the sight of it. But, in reality, it usually provoked laughter. "Well, what do you propose we wear, then?"

Binary Bard knew how to make clothing, but with all three of them combined, it would more than likely take no more than a couple days. Maybe Black Widow could loan them some outwear, they wouldn't have a problem. The only thing that held that idea back was his cyborg face and eye...

"I've got it!" he said, looking at him.

Dr. Hare glanced back up at him. "What?"

"All right, so do you know that Black Widow and I have been plotting out our domination of this island?"

He shook his head. "Uh, not until now. Why?"

Binary Bard explained. "Since the guards are after her, and I cannot disguise my bionic features, it's up to you to go out and map the island."

Dr. Hare widened his eyes. "Huh?! Whattaya mean 'map it out'? What for?"

Binary Bard set his hat aside and walked towards the staircase. He stopped at the foot of it and held on to the railing. "If we'd like to take over this strange island, we'd have to know every part of it. I shall retrieve a sketchbook and pen for you to map and take notes on. You'll also need to lose the costume as well." He started to climb up the steps to Black Widow's room.

"What? No, I love my outfit! I refuse to change!" Dr. Hare crossed his arms and pointed his face away from him. "And this is also all very sudden, Mordred. Only seconds ago, you were just introducing this new plan to me, the person you want to direct for the whole plan itself!"

This was all very true. He should have told him earlier so that he could think it through. Then again, he was asleep on the couch. Binary Bard didn't want to wake him. It wasn't really polite to do so. But they needed him. If neither of them knew what this fairly new island looked like, the whole plan would be ruined. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Harvey. I should've known better. But we need you for this. No map means no plan. I'll certainly repay you afterwards, I promise! Please do this for us. It's all you have to do. Black Widow and I will take care of the rest."

Dr. Hare pondered, looking at him, then down at his own clothing, then back at him. "Fine. I'll go do the mapping thing, or whatever. But what am I gonna even wear?"

"Leave that up to me, old chap. I'll go ask Black Widow if she has any," Binary Bard said, and started walking up the stairs to her room.

Dr. Hare's eyes followed him, then he asked, "What makes you think that she has a disguise for _me?_ "

"Oh, come now," Binary Bard replied. "Females have all kinds of clothing. They're quite a unique gender, if you ask me."

Dr. Hare laughed and shrugged at this. After Binary Bard disappeared up the stairs, he looked at his attire for the third time. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to do this. He had to make note in spite of himself that no one even knows him or Binary Bard. Perhaps it would be quite nice to take a break from this particular outfit specifically for Dr. Hare. It's always best to try new things, an old friend once told him. He relaxed on the couch and calmly awaited his task.

Binary Bard knocked gently on her door. Once again, he disliked waking people up. Despite his evil ways, he was a charming man to be around. Always so polite, and talking in the most firm tone anybody could imagine. The door opened very calmly. It was like she's already been awake. He would highly doubt that, since she was still in her pajamas. She wore a loose, thin red blouse that was almost all the way buttoned up, and furry black pants decorated with little red spiders all around. Her hair still stuck up, as usual. She rubbed her eye with one fist and held the door wide open with the other. When she saw him, she put her fist down on her hip and glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Sorry if I woke you, but I request some clothes to borrow. Maybe just a shirt and trousers? A jacket, even?"

"Uh... sure, I guess." She went to her wooden dresser and opened up some drawers, taking out various pieces of clothing as she browsed. "Why? What for?"

He stepped in the doorway and leaned on it. "We need a disguise for Harvey. He's going to venture the island."

She turned back to him with an armful of clothes. "Well, here," she said, approaching him, "it's not much, but it's all I have that could be reliable." She handed them over to him. Looking up from the clothes, he smiled again. "Actually, this will be very helpful. Thank you."

She nodded as he turned to go, but before he could leave, she added, "Mordred?"

Binary Bard paused and glanced at her. "Yes?"

Black Widow stood there, parting her lips to say something to him, but for some reason, she could not think of anything. Her eyes darted to the floor. "...nothing, never mind."

He nodded in a friendly way at her, then left her standing there. What did she want to say? Was it important? He brushed his curiosity off, but in reluctance. She was certainly a woman with surprises. He half expected her to tell him in a more private area what she was about to say. Probably after Dr. Hare would leave for his small mission, they would have much more time to themselves, just the two of them.

"Harvey, old chap! I now have your disguise," Binary Bard called to him, descending the stairs with clothes in his arms. Dr. Hare groaned and got up to face what ridiculous clothes he had to wear. Binary Bard threw them in front of his feet. It was a red tank top, midnight blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. Dr. Hare made a disgusted face upon these, they were the total opposite of what he usually wore. "Do I have to wear this? I'll look like a total jerk in it!"

"There's no time for griping. Yes, you do! Now, put it on. The sooner the better!" Binary Bard said. Dr. Hare groaned loudly again as he flew his hands to his goggles and pulled them off of his head. He then yanked back his bunny ears, making his thick blond hair pop out. Such a rare sight.

Dr. Hare looked at him with discomfort written in his eyes. "Please turn around. This might be painful for you, too."

Binary Bard rolled his eye as he faced the other direction. As he changed, he could hear Dr. Hare whining about every little flaw of the clothes he was putting on.

Finally, Dr. Hare said, "Okay, I'm done, I guess."

Binary Bard spun around and saw him in his slick disguise. The only things that stood out were his buck teeth and his childish glare. "I look like a freaking greaser from The Outsiders," he added.

"Don't worry, Harvey. This torture will be over soon. Just please try to cooperate with me, alright?" Binary Bard asked of him.

Dr. Hare scoffed. "Fine. This'd better be worthwhile, though."

After handing him a large folded up piece of paper and pencil, Binary Bard immediately shoved him out the door to begin his task. He felt a bit wrong still with being hasty with his plans and making a partially clueless friend do a big part of the work. On the other side, he knew that it wasn't going to be safe being seen with a dangerous criminal and cyborg, and he was always on top of things. Maybe this was a good idea. A rough start, but it could work. It was a logical and very well organized plan, followed by hard work. It would be such a waste to just bail from it then and there. He, of all people, was definitely not going to. Hard work doesn't pay as long as there are the pleasures of meaning to it. "I'm sure he'll do fine. Harvey is such an educated man, and this is but a mere simple task. I shouldn't have to worry," he said to himself. Besides, now with him off to his task, he finally has more time with a mysterious someone.

He had done it; Binary Bard has knocked on Black Widow's door and instructed her to meet him downstairs, as he had something important in mind to talk to her about. He was just waiting on the couch, drinking in the plain old surroundings he's already used to. Most of the furniture and floor was wooden, but the china cabinet and table were expertly carved in. The whole house was plain as could be, a perfect hideout for a dangerous criminal. Shortly after, Black Widow met up with him, still in her pajamas, and also sat down on the couch. "This had better be important," she said, and looked around the room. "Where's that Harvey guy?"

"Don't worry. He's already off to his mission. It won't be long until he's mapped out the entire island," he replied.

"Map out the island? Mordred, I know what this whole island looks like, I live on the island! You should've told me, crétin!"

"I know that," Binary Bard said, rolling his eye. "It was just to get a little privacy with you."

"Whoa," she said, dragging herself back an inch, "you're gonna have to take me out to dinner first."

He liked her sense of humor as well, but he focused on their conversation. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I actually want to talk to you more."

Black Widow kept her distance. "Why would I want to bond with you?"

"Well, this is your house, correct? And you were kind enough to take us in for the night. How could Harvey and I ever repay you? We'll do anything."

Her eyes lit up. "Anything?" she asked.

He nodded in conclusion. A smile once again spread across her lips. He noticed this sly face, then gulped down at what questionable thing she had in mind for him.

* * *

"I can't believe this," Dr. Hare mumbled with his head low and his fists gripped on his supplies. "Of all the things in his mind, he only sends _me_ out for this stupid plan. I don't even think this'll even work." His eyes darted from building to building as he measured it in his head, then sketched it out. Of course, he had to start at the front edge of the island to make it much easier. It was still a lot of measuring. He knew that he needed to be exact, not approximate. Worse, he needed to label all of the avenues and buildings.

"This is ludicrous," he said to himself. His "perfect disguise" was certainly not helping either. The wind was always blowing in his tufty hair and into his face, and he was embarrassed about his clothes, which ironically, he'd prefer his pink bunny suit over. He walked down the sidewalk, passing a couple mimes along the way.

"I hate this place."

Up ahead not too far off in the distance, he stopped to see a large pile of rubble- literally, a large pile of rubble. Standing in front of it was a woman in a green beret. He tilted his head down to what he's sketched so far. "Looks like it's my break time," he muttered, then shoved the paper in his jacket. Going up to the woman, she greeted him with a welcoming smile.

" _Bonjour!_ " she said. He just politely nodded and crookedly grinned. He had no idea how French worked.

"Do you have your ticket?" she asked him.

"For... what?" he asked.

"Why, for only the most exotic underground tour, of course!"

His eyes darted to the rubble, and he pointed at it. "You mean that?"

" _Oui!_ It may look like a pile of debris on the outside, but on the inside, it is simply _incroyable!_ So do you have any tickets?"

Dr. Hare shook his head. "Uh... no, ma'am. Where would I buy any?"

The woman changed her expression. "I'm sorry, sir, but we're all sold out." He folded his arms and nodded, drifting his focus to the world around him. If he couldn't get a break in a tour of some sort, he might as well just rest his brain with just standing there in the open for a short time.

The tour guide felt a little bad for him, though. She didn't like disappointing customers. She walked over to the pamphlet display and took one out to hand it off to him. "You could have this brochure, though." He took it and opened up the glossy pages to see all kinds of information pieces of the underground tunnel and pictures on the corners. Even though most of it was in French, he accepted it. On the back looked like a map. "I'm guessing this is the map for the tunnel?" he said, examining it.

"Actually, it's the map of this island, just in case you want to revisit the tour. More tickets are coming out soon!" she said brightly.

The entire map of the island, on one brochure.

"Oh my god..." A smile of triumph grew on his face as he looked up at her. "This is perfect! Thanks so much!"

"Anytime," the woman replied. "Have a nice day."

As he quickly ran back to Black Widow's house, he tingled with excitement. He didn't need to make an entire map of the whole island by scratch anymore, he had a pamphlet now in hand. He didn't even need to do any more work. Binary Bard has to reward him either way. He wondered what he would give him. Unlike other villains in Poptropica, he had not thought about wealth or tyranny; only of carrots. He made sure to keep this special pamphlet close to his chest so he wouldn't easily lose it. This pamphlet was literally his key to paradise. Now he could earn back his pink fluffy costume.

* * *

The computers sprung to life as the man typed into the keyboard. He anxiously adjusted his square black glasses and typed in the subjects' names; Binary Bard, Black Widow, and Dr. Hare. He rolled his mouse to the button on the screen and clicked, **LOCATE ALL**. Strangely enough, the screen just panned over to a single island: Counterfeit Island. He scratched his beard, baffled that the three of his targets would be on the same island at the same time. His computer never lied to him, for it was the most advanced computer he's started up. Shaking off this confusion, he turned to the man behind him, who was watching a particular pod. Inside the pod was a very angry and confused pirate.

This grey-bearded pirate wore an old red feathered pirate hat upon his head atop of his green bandanna. He had on a matching red coat with pure gold buttons over his white collared shirt. Around his waist was a black and green belt with a gold buckle. Topping his jacket was a black golden-buckled strap over his shoulder that held a single dagger. He had a peg leg under his red velvet pants. His right eye was covered by an eye patch with a gold skull sitting on it. The patch was right above the stitched scar on his face, giving him a scary look. His other brilliant blue eye pierced anyone who looked back with a cold and ruthless stare. He clenched his teeth (one of them being gold, matching his earrings) and gave the nastiest glare to the man reflecting him. "I swear to me own ship that when I get outta here, you're gonna pay fer lockin' me in this chamber!" he growled, and drew out his sword as a threat. The other man just stood and watched with a still expression like he was in a zoo exhibit. "You really are restless, aren't you?" he simply said.

"Mr. D, a word with you," the one at the computers said. He went up to his side. The man in the glasses pointed at the screen, gesturing to the virtual model of Counterfeit Island.

"Isn't this strange? Why in all of Poptropica would the three of them be on the same island? I've checked upon Astro Knights, and same with 24 Carrot as well as Reality TV, but Counterfeit's where they're all at!"

"I wonder what could have brought them together."

He glanced over at him with beady eyes, then perceived a marvelous idea in his mind. He realized that it didn't really matter, as this plan was about to get easier. "Stay with Crawfish, Mr. D," he said, going towards his metallic stairs. "I shall return shortly with... new faces." The other smirked and again faced the very enraged pirate. "Yer kidnappin' other lubbers, too!?" he exclaimed. "Ye scurvy dogs, I'll make ye walk the plank fer this!"

Without expression, the man walked over to the controls and pushed a large button, instantly filling the pod with white odorless gas. The pirate hadn't noticed this at all, and kept banging on the thick glass yelling threats and insults to him, unaware that his body was getting weaker and more tired. His knees shook and slowly relaxed as his eyelids drooped. He slid down the glass, unable to utter another word, and helplessly went into a deep sleep. The man smiled as he watched this. While his boss was retrieving the test subjects, he went to his office to acquire a suitable disguise for when they get there.

They already did know him all too well.


	4. Chapter 4

The Binary Bard sat down at Black Widow's kitchen table. The three were drenched in disappointment when they learned that a storm was passing the night before, and were forced to postpone the great plan. This had to be the day. Binary Bard had just sent Dr. Hare out to the coffee shop a little while ago to pick them all up a small breakfast. He hated going out in his ridiculous outfit, but they had to have a quick breakfast to start their special day. A simple coffee and muffin, perhaps. He patiently waited for him while he sat quietly on the wooden chair with his elbows on the table and head in his hands. He wasn't the patient type, but he kept himself busy with his many thoughts in his mind. One of them was about their diabolical plan for that very night.

But that was not the thought that made his eye glow.

Dr. Hare returned with three paper bags and one grocery bag in one hand, and his arm supported the paper cup holder with three drinks of coffee as he very cautiously opened the door. "Hey, a little help here?" he said, but Binary Bard wasn't listening at all. Dr. Hare, with luck, made it through the door without spilling or dropping anything. He shut the door with one kick of his foot and said, "Never mind." He smoothly walked over to where he was sitting and bent down to put the tray in the middle of the table. Binary Bard pointed at one of the bags. "What's the plastic bag for?"

"Oh, good. So you _are_ awake," Dr. Hare said sarcastically. "I just went to the grocery store to pick up a bottle of carrot juice."

Binary Bard instantly changed his expression. "You... _what?!_ "

"I said, 'I just went to the'-"

"What are you, mad?! This is not our home! You can't just leave it here when we move back to our own islands! What will Charlotte do with it?"

Dr. Hare did not know what was going on. "Who's Charlotte?"

Binary Bard straightened his back as he tugged on his belled collar. "I-I mean, Black Widow. What would Black Widow do with it? I don't believe she even drinks carrot juice."

"Uh, I can just take it with me, no biggie." Dr. Hare held his gaze as he sat on the chair in front of him. He slid him one of the paper bags. "It's an English muffin, in case you were wondering," he said.

Binary Bard kept on looking into the same distance he was staring at before, back to his thoughts. Dr. Hare looked around the room, rhythmically tapping on the wooden surface of the table. It was strange seeing his surroundings without any tint of lime green. Instead, he saw all other colors. It was a whole new experience for him. A stupid one. He hated it. "So... I'm guessing that you've got your mind set on our great plan for tonight, huh?"

"Uh..." Binary Bard's eye darted to him, then to a different direction. He made his face into a look of worry and huffed. "Truthfully... not exactly."

"Huh? I thought you two have been plotting this almost all night last night?" Dr. Hare asked, still confused. Binary Bard nodded and uneasily hung his arm on his chair and chuckled nervously. "Well yes, but... what I mean is..." He had to get it out sometime before they depart. "About the plan... I haven't been thinking much about it."

Dr. Hare couldn't understand what else he could possibly set his mind to other than the "plan" him and Black Widow were drawing out. Then he realized that, even though it was quite obvious, no one else would understand. Binary Bard was in love.

Dr. Hare grew a small smirk in triumph on his face. "Well, well, _well_..." he started, scraping his chair back and slowly approaching him, "this explains a _lot_." Binary Bard took his own cup from the tray and took a small sip. "What does?"

"Oh, come on. Isn't it obvious, Mordred? Complimenting her, wanting to spend time with her, defending her, and now you can't even stop _thinking_ about her!" Dr. Hare thought that this was fantastic, but he was always such a tease, and he just can't help himself. It would be embarrassing for all of them if Black Widow were to just walk into the scene. She was still in her room, sleeping the early morning away.

Something glistened in Binary Bard's eye. He didn't know how to respond. He could just say that he did love her, then he'd had to put up with his possible immature teases for the next few days or so. If he were to try to deny it and brush it off, Dr. Hare would more than likely still tease him. And no matter how much he would push him from the topic, a curious person like him would persist. It wasn't quite the time for arguing with each other, the day they might take Poptropica under their wings. Arguments over the littlest things could tear down their partnerships, turning them into more ambitious, and less wise, tyrants. Those were the kind of people that could be easily defeated by the Chosen One. Humiliation would crumble above their heads. And all because of an insignificant argument between just two of them. Right above the strings of reality, Binary Bard sighed to himself. Sometimes a lie is as painful as the truth.

"I know, I know. You want me to say it, and that's fine with me. I do confess my love for her. You're going to find out sooner or later. Come at me with your taunts." he said, and looked back at him with a straight face, preparing for the worst.

Dr. Hare just responded, "I knew you'd make a good couple."

Binary Bard stared at him, then created a smile. "Thank you," he said quietly, then sank down in his chair and observed the room awkwardly.

"So, now do you wanna tell me?" Dr. Hare added.

Binary Bard glanced at him again. "Tell you what?"

"What you two have been doing while I was away." Dr Hare crossed his arms and smiled again. "C'mon, don't hide secrets from me, your companion."

Dr. Hare could remember it clearly; The moment he had walked in the door proudly with the brochure in his hand, he and Black Widow were walking down the stairs and stopped when they took notice of him standing by the doorway. Binary Bard was stunned to see him back at the house so early, and asked if he's already mapped out the entire island. Dr. Hare held up the pamphlet at chest-level. He casually walked up to him and snatched it out of his hand, making him flinch.

"Black Widow made me fold all of her laundry for her," said Binary Bard, "what's the big deal?"

"Uh huh, sure," Dr. Hare replied, openly showing his sly smirk. "It's not because you wanted to be alone with her or anything, nope." That was also the truth, but Binary Bard kept his mouth shut.

Black Widow woke up in a pleasant mood that morning. She easily slipped out of her bed and folded over her blankets. It was under rare cases for anyone like her to be waking up happy, but she hardly noticed it. She had time to brush her teeth and take a brisk shower. After that, she emerged from the foggy bathroom in towel and went to change into her clothes. Every day, except for when she had to be a counterfeit chief of police, she wore the same thing; a tight black jumpsuit with the emblem of a black widow's hourglass symbol. Around her waist, she also wore a grey and red belt. Up at her dresser mirror, she picked up her hair gel and styled her wavy black locks of hair to be spiked up, giving her a menacing image of a dangerous villain staring back at her. But no matter how evil she could appear, she was very beautiful. It was no wonder why men flirted with her, including Binary Bard. Well, maybe not just her dangerous beauty caused him to develop feelings for her, but nevertheless, he was still a giant weirdo. After doing her hair and applying a layer of red lipstick, she gracefully walked down the flight of stairs to meet up with the boys.

"Good morning, Harvey," Black Widow said with a polite smile, "good morning, Mordred." Dr. Hare gave him that look again before Binary Bard frowned and turned to her. Was it the daylight, or just him? God, she looked beautiful... Even lovelier than the night before. She was fresh, like a ripe fruit from the lush, green bush.

"Hi," Binary Bard said wistfully, but then cleared his throat. "Uh, good morning, Charlotte."

 _Charlotte?_ Dr. Hare thought. _That's her name? Wow, he's good._

She stood in front of the table and looked at the cups in the paper trey. "What's this?"

Dr. Hare replied, "Oh, I just picked up some breakfast. Just coffee and muffins. I bought three, in case you wanted one."

She was moved by their kindness to her. "Thanks, Harvey. I... appreciate it," she said, walking over to him and hugging him with one arm. She picked out her own cup and bag, then moved to her couch. Dr. Hare raised his eyebrow and looked at Binary Bard. "Jelly?" he asked. Binary Bard just rolled an eye. "Eat your muffin, Harvey. We have to prepare ourselves for the night."

The day, for the three villains, went by critically slow for them. From time to time, they would fidget anxiously in their chairs, wiggling with excitement as the bland afternoon would pass by, like an elderly man crossing the street. It was only the delicious thought of world domination that drove them near the edge. Waiting was not their closest friend at that time.

When the evening finally fell, their hearts nearly exploded from excitement. Black Widow practically slid down the railing of her staircase and jumped on the bottom step. Dr. Hare, all suited up in his rabbit costume, stared outside his window impatiently. He glanced over at her as to say, "Hurry up already!" Behind him was Binary Bard, with the blueprints in hand. He nervously fixed his collar bells and said, "Are we ready to go now?"

"Are you kidding? I've been ready since this morning! Come on!" Dr. Hare ran to his right and skid in front of the door, about to rip it open.

"Calm down, Harvey! We need to be extra careful with this plan if we would like for it to succeed," Binary Bard quietly shouted. Dr. Hare snarled. "I've been patient for long enough. Like you said before, 'the sooner, the better'."

Binary Bard scoffed, and turned to Black Widow. "Come along, Charlotte. We shan't set off this ticking time bomb." She nodded and went to his side.

"Lead the way, Hare," she simply said. Dr. Hare, trying to maintain his sanity, quickly walked out of the dark house to enter a much darker world. She and Binary Bard slipped out after.

They had to make sure that the loudest thing was to be the soft, barely audible steps in the grass. Dr. Hare was the head of the party. Binary Bard kept sided with Black Widow and kept the same pace as her.

Should he tell her now..?

No, maybe it was too soon. They would never see each other again. But he has to tell her somehow; this was the one chance he could tell her. The only thing he feared was rejection. He exhaled sharply.

"Charlotte?"

"Yes?" She half looked at him with dazzling green eyes.

"I... wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What do you think our lives would be like when we depart? You know, we might never see one another again."

Black Widow's eyes flickered, and stared at him with a tint of sadness. "I..." They darted down thoughtfully, then looked back up at him. "I don't know."

It was in plain sight that she was also bothered by this effect, the thought of never seeing your friends again. Leaving them for an open seat for absolute power over your own island was difficult to absorb. Her throat dried before she swallowed. "I'm going to miss you."

Binary Bard's eye lit up after she said this, and also felt weak in his heart. Never in his life had he felt such care. Not even for Elyana, who he'd used only for control over the universe. Now, he saw that Black Widow and Dr. Hare had worked together with him to meet this opportunity that couldn't bail out on. Departure from them would be like losing two-thirds of himself. All of them were aware of this, and had no choice but to push on. They've already spent days clawing their ways up, hand in hand. This was going to be their final night together.

They were inches away from the police station. This was their first stop, where the main authority was. They had planned to attack the remaining guards in the night shift to make things run smoother, and less people to handle. They cautiously leaned on the brick wall and crouched down on the grass. Dr. Hare made a few silent gestures as to let them know that he'll see if the coast is clear and peeked his head halfway out. Binary Bard nodded, widening his eyes at a soft noise behind him. He looked over his shoulder. Black Widow was sitting on the grass burying her face in her hands and crying quietly.

He did not know what to do at first, not knowing why she was doing this. He turned to her and got to his knees, trying to comfort her. "There, there. It's going to be alright." She wiped away a thin streak of tears below her eye and looked at him. "I'm so sorry, I just..." She tried to sigh, but came out as a small bawl. "I'm really gonna miss you both." So no longer cared of her pride of being the world's greatest art thief. Sometimes even the strongest cry the hardest. Binary Bard rubbed her back with his hand and held her hand with the other. She squeezed his hand.

"We're going to miss you, too. You've been too kind giving us the shelter and humor we needed, and..." His voice trailed off when he felt hot tears well up in his own eye. This was the perfect time to tell her. He embraced her tightly, her head to his chest. He took a deep breath and let his mind take the wheel.

"Charlotte?"

"What is it, Mordred?"

He urged his tongue to speak the words for him, yet nothing could come out. He was close to crying as well, in vain and cowardice.

"I love you, Mordred," she suddenly confessed.

He looked down at her, being awarded with her green-eyed gaze. "I..." Shaking off his fears, he replied, "I love you, too." They exchanged stares for a moment, then Black Widow closed her eyes and moved her head up to kiss the Binary Bard, for the first and last time.

The sensation was weird for her. It was like pressing your lips against someone else's through a metal bar. She broke the kiss and looked up at him. "Sorry," she said. She lifted herself off of him and got to her feet. Binary Bard stared up at her, giving her the same look he gave her when they first met. They both heard someone clear his throat. They turned their heads to see Dr. Hare with a buck-toothed smile upturned on his face. "I _knew_ you'd make a good couple," he said. Black Widow felt her face fill with warmth, then glanced down at the grass.

Dr. Hare nodded his head. "Heh. Anyway, the coast is clear."

Black Widow remembered that he also helped a lot with the mission. She stumbled over towards him and threw her arms around him for a hug.

"Oh!"

"I'll never forget about you either, Harvey," she said, looking at him sincerely. His rabbit ears began to fall over. "Aw, shucks, Charlotte. You're gonna make me emotional." He lifted up his goggles to rub his hot eyes. He walked past her and helped Binary Bard up, then he shook his hand.

"It's been an honor, Dr. Harvey Hare," Binary Bard said. "You've been the best companion a man could ever have." Dr. Hare couldn't help but shed along a tear. "Oh, that did it!" he said, plunging into him for a hug. Binary Bard laughed weakly and patted his back. Black Widow joined along. "No matter what else may happen to us, we'll always be there for you," she said. It was a warm and long embrace between the three of them, but something immediately ended it. A sudden bright light shone on them, making them all jump back with fear.

Bravely, Binary Bard ran in front of his friends, holding each other in surprise, to protect them. The light reflected off of his cyborg face, then shone on to the person, holding the flashlight. "Who are you?!" he demanded. He noticed that some of the light reflected off of his glasses. This person, he didn't recognize at all. No one else gave sign they knew him either. It was a stocky man with white hair and a curly beard. He could tell aside from the shine of his glasses that his eyes were a golden colour. He was also, for some odd reason, in a lab coat. He was definitely not a police officer.

"Calm yourselves, friends, I'm not here to harm you," the person said.

"Then what do you want from us?" he snarled. The person put his hands up, backing away with precaution. "I would just like to know what you fellows were up to, that's all."

"Why should we tell you?" Black Widow said in a threatening tone. The person turned off the bright flashlight, making a sudden darkness, and said, "My name is Dr. Jupiter, ma'am. There's no need to be alarmed." He turned his head away with his eyes still fixed on them and crossed his arms. "After all, you are the three most dangerous villains of Poptropica." Binary Bard's heart dropped. "You know us!?"

Dr. Jupiter chuckled under his breath. "Oh yes I do. Binary Bard, Dr. Hare, and the breath-taking Black Widow..." Black Widow glared at him after he said this. "I know all of you," he stated.

"H-How?" Dr. Hare said in a shaken voice.

"I've actually admired the four of you for years, and I must say, it does stop my heart to personally meet you!"

Binary Bard started to feel flattered at the feeling of someone actually looking up to him, but he frowned again, and kept his cautious position. "What do you mean, 'the four of us'? We've only three in our group."

"Well, Mordred," Dr. Jupiter answered, "that's because there is a fourth dangerous villain in Poptropica, you've probably never met before," said Dr. Jupiter.

"Who is it?"

The doctor folded his arms. "He possesses the name, 'Captain Crawfish', the most treacherous pirate of the sea."

A pirate? Binary Bard had never met a pirate in real life before, but he's heard of them in stories. He used to have books of them when he was a child. He always imagined them of being ferocious, greedy thieves of the seas. It sometimes scared him, but now that he's an adult, he'd like to take this opportunity to actually meet one. "But... where is he?"

"Oh, he's back at my island, of course! If you all could come with me, I'll let you see him!" Dr. Jupiter said with a nod.

"Uh..." Binary Bard's eye darted to the police station behind him. "We'd love to, but we can't. We're... in the middle of something right now! Begone!"

Dr. Jupiter glanced behind them, taking notice of the obvious building they were about to sneak in. He already knew that they were up to no good. Villains like them are always up to no good. "Well, maybe Captain Crawfish could help you with your little 'something'. Three's a crowd, but four would be a whole party! I guarantee that it'll be just enough for you. Perhaps you could also befriend this vicious pirate," he suggested to them.

Binary Bard thought this was a fantastic idea. He was absolutely right about adding an extra member. Maybe he could help attack the guards with his sword or something. He turned to his friends. "What do you think, Harvey?"

"I dunno," Dr. Hare said, glaring, "this guy's kinda suspicious."

Binary Bard put "How so?"

"Just look at him."

Binary Bard and Black Widow both looked over at Dr. Jupiter's innocent smile. Binary Bard cocked his eyes and looked back at him. "Really?"

"I say never trust a guy in glasses!" Dr. Hare warned.

"Harvey, you wear goggles."

Dr. Hare scoffed and staggered his feet around. "I'd like to meet Captain Crawfish," Black Widow spoke in. They both turned their heads to her. She continued, "Three's not gonna be enough to handle the dozens of cops on this whole island. We could take a chance with him. He sounds dangerous enough."

"I agree," Binary Bard said. "Besides, this is a great opportunity for all of us to spend our final moments together. And I would like to make it last." He smiled and nodded. Dr. Hare felt his heart grow heavy again, so he agreed and put his trust in. Binary Bard turned back to Dr. Jupiter. He was patient, but he was visibly fidgeting for an answer.

"We accept your invitation to your island, but only to meet Crawfish," Binary Bard said. Dr. Jupiter, trying to hide his devious smile, said, "Excellent! Follow me, great villains. My helicopter is just up ahead."

This plan was going perfectly for Dr. Jupiter. The three villains wouldn't actually need to worry about departing each other. This would be the last time they would see Counterfeit Island.


	5. Chapter 5

Binary Bard peeked through his eyelids and shakily stroked Black Widow's hair, tumbling down her shoulders. "Charlotte, it's happening again. I don't want to remember what Dr. Jupiter did to all of us."

She moaned and stroked his arm. "You don't have to. You can skip over that part." She rubbed her head to try to not remember it herself. "Remember how we all escaped from the prison, but not as villains anymore. The happiest day we could have."

He lied his head on the pillow, facing her, and went back to sleep. He let his mind flow from that moment on.

* * *

They were screaming. All five of them. Binary Bard, Black Widow, Dr. Hare, Captain Crawfish, and the Chosen One fell from high above the sky, plummeting towards the ocean.

 _ **BLOOSH!**_

Binary Bard quickly swam up to the surface to see if everyone else was nearby. Luckily, all of them were clinging on to the surface looking around themselves. The Chosen One had a very surprised expression on her face. Binary Bard glanced over at what used to be their prison. "Freedom!" he beamed. Dr. Hare, doggie paddling on the surface, said, "I'm outta here!" Everyone else agreed and followed him to the shore. Everyone except for the Chosen One. Still swimming forward, Binary Bard glanced back at her just swimming in that one spot. She was still looking a little startled, but then a bit forlorn. Poor girl. What was strange was that he was actually feeling for her. She had always been their sworn enemy, but now, he felt bad for her. Then he remembered why.

Their totems had been removed.

It all added up for them. Now they knew why she was in all their dreams. She was trying to remove their evil totems. They did not know how they ended up falling from the sky, though. They were asleep the entire time.

Binary Bard crawled on to the shore of a new island, one near Dr. Jupiter's island. He got to his knees once he felt the warm sand filling his hands. He tilted his head up and scanned the island for his friends. He spotted Dr. Hare laying on his back with his limbs sprawled out on the sand. Binary Bard dragged himself up to him. "Harvey, are you alright?" Dr. Hare responded with a giggle. "We're free, haha! Sweet sand!" He squeezed the sand under his hands and kicked his feet excitedly.

Binary Bard laughed at his joy, then saw Black Widow beside him. He jumped to his feet and hopped over Dr. Hare. Black Widow was sitting up and rubbing the sand off her legs. He crouched down beside her. "Hey," he said. She looked at him and grinned, then hugged him. "We're finally free, Mordred!"

He laughed. "Oh, yes we are! How are you feeling?" She shared with him another kiss.

"I feel great, now that I know that we don't have to leave each other," she said.

The three got up to their feet and started to patrol the island, when they heard someone coughing back on the shore. Binary Bard looked and saw a pirate, dressed in red, still on the shore on his hands and knees with his face down. Binary Bard ran over to help him up.

"Are you okay?" he said.

The pirate cleared his throat, then replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks, lad."

Binary Bard's eye glowed excitedly. "Wait, are you... Captain Crawfish?" The pirate fixed his coat. "In the flesh n' bone."

"Wow! We've heard about you," Black Widow said.

He looked at the three. "Ye have?"

"You bet. You're Captain Crawfish, the most treacherous pirate of the seven seas, right?" she asked.

He chuckled and proudly put his hands on his hips. "As a matter o' fact." Then he quickly changed his expression. "But I think me gold huntin' days are over. I actually don't feel like thievin' sailors anymore, and I don't know why." Binary Bard and the others felt the same way too. No one felt like hurting anyone, taking over the universe, or attacking any islands. Not because they have become lazy or started to give up. They just lost the urge to do so. This was not a bad thing, but no one was sure if it was a good thing, either. Was it a bad thing to become good just like that? Being robbed from your evil totems so you could become a much better person than before? They all became villainous themselves under the influence of some others. It wasn't healthy holding a grudge from minor annoyances. It could shape you into who you're going to be in the future; a villain.

But what if they didn't suddenly reform? Perhaps Dr. Jupiter visited Binary Bard, Black Widow, and Dr. Hare at just the right time. It was good for accepting who you are, but if you take advantage of that, others won't accept who you are, either. If Dr. Jupiter hadn't shown up at all, Poptropica would've been in a lot of trouble. Most likely too much for even the Chosen One to handle. Sometimes change could be a good thing, especially out of a bad point of view of the world.

The four of them scouted the island for a few minutes. All they could find were wooden docks with a few engineers on it. Thankfully, no one recognized them as the four most notorious villains of Poptropica. They were later informed that the island they were on was called, "Super Villain Island". There wasn't any sign of boats or anything to build a raft to get off the island. Their faces started to fill with worry, but where would they go? They were already hated by their own home islands. If they so happened to miraculously find some way to journey back out of the island, chances are that they'll either make their way to either an unfamiliar island with trouble getting used to, or their home island. They settled on making their new home there, on Super Villain Island. Captain volunteered on getting a job in the docks, being responsible for the safety of the surrounding waters so that no one would foolishly drop a cable in it, just to make money for shopping and bills or whatnot. The manager took one look at him and told him that he will begin the day after.

There no landlord to be heard of anywhere on the island, so they instantly got to work making their own home, together. Dr. Hare was the one who found an empty abandoned building that they would plan to make that their new house. Binary Bard would easily upgrade it out by adding on metal scraps littered all over the docks. After that, Black Widow would help design the exterior and interior of the new house. Finally, Captain Crawfish, the new member of the party, would move in the households into their building. The house was a success. A television room, a subtle hallway, and a kitchen, finished off with four bedrooms inside the hallway. It felt right. This was where they would live from then on. No one to criticize them, hurt them, or even bother them. It felt like the perfect home, complete with dearest friends by their side.

* * *

It was raining heavily one night, but things were going splendid for the four friends. Captain took great care of the others since he was the eldest, Dr. Hare kept the mood lively, and best of all, Black Widow had accepted to be Binary Bard's girlfriend. It was a jovial atmosphere in the well constructed house. Captain Crawfish was preparing dinner while the other three socialized in the living room. Captain joined in. "The fish should be done any minute now," he said.

"Thank you again for making supper for us," Binary Bard said.

Out of the blue, there was a loud knock at the door. Their heads instantly turned to it. "Now for the love of God, who could that possibly be this time?" Binary Bard said. Dr. Hare's ears twitched, then he got up from the couch. "Don't worry, Mordred. I got it."

He cautiously walked to the front door to see what new adventures lie before them. When he opened the door, his blank expression simmered, then changed. Binary Bard heard someone talking in the doorstep, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. "Wait... I know you!" Dr. Hare said, tilting his head and smirking. Binary Bard's eye lit up. "Who is it, Harvey?" he called out.

Dr. Hare looked over at him with an excited face, then back at this certain visitor, who Dr. Hare supposedly claimed being someone familiar. He then heard him pull them in and close the door, locking it afterwards.

"Wait right here, ma'am. I'll be right back," he added, running down the hall to the closet. Curiosity took over Binary Bard, and eventually, Black Widow and Captain. He stood up and walked out to the hallway only to find a dark-haired girl standing in front of the door, with her clothes nearly soaked through. She looked up at him with frightened, yet familiar round eyes. This girl was the Chosen One.

* * *

Binary Bard opened his eyes at the sound of morning birds singing outside his bedroom window. He opened his eyes and saw that his left arm and leg were dangling off the bed, and the sheets were falling off his bare back. Someone nudged his shoulder on the other side. He put his chin on his pillow and saw Black Widow, fully dressed, sitting up on the bed with her legs crossed. "Good morning, Mordred. Did you sleep well?"

He put in an effort to smile and fold his arms under his head, putting his ear to the pillow. "Actually, I did, my dear."

She smiled in return. "That's good. I'm glad you did. I was worried about you last night, so I let you sleep in this morning."

Binary Bard rolled over to his back and sat up to stretch. "And I owe it all to you, Charlotte. Thank you." She wrapped her hands around his waist and hugged him. "Oh and by the way, I wanted to let you know that Hyper Hawk's here for a visit," Black Widow added.

He widened his eye and quickly pulled away from her. "She is!?"

Black Widow nodded. Binary Bard then leaped out of bed and slipped on his court jester outfit and hat. "Someone's eager to meet her today," she said, shaking her head at the sight of him floundering around in his loose pants. He grinned at her jokingly and rushed out the door.

His feet skid across the carpeted floor, almost hitting the wall in front of his door. He ran up the hall and jumped into the living room. Captain and Director D. were talking in the kitchen, while Dr. Hare was watching television on the couch with Hyper Hawk. She looked at Binary Bard when she heard him land on the floor. "Hey, Mordred. What's up?" She stood and walked to him to greet him, but he replied with a sudden hug. "Oh, Hawk, I've never been better," he gushed.

"Uh, alright!" she said, laughing. Binary Bard cleared his throat and stepped backwards, clasping his hands together. He gave her a warm smile. "So, what's new?"

Her eyes rolled around, then she shrugged. "The air conditioning broke down my apartment room, and I have to wait for it to get fixed." Her black hair bounced along with the beat of her head gestures as she spoke. "Is it okay if I hang out with you guys?" He nodded once. "Absolutely. You can even spend the night, if you wish." She questionably tilted her head as her red lips spread into a little smirk. "Thanks, Mordred. You guys are the best."

That afternoon, not too many things happened at once. It involved mostly of them watching television or just talking to each other about their days. It wasn't an exciting day, but it was worthwhile spending it with your friends. Binary Bard knew this all as a fact.

Captain Crawfish and Director D. were playing a thoughtful game of checkers round the coffee table, and Dr. Hare, Black Widow, and Hyper Hawk sat on the couch to watch. It sounded a bit boring, but it was at least something. Hyper Hawk slid her rear back to where she was sitting up, then crossed her legs, resting her head and arm on the side of the couch, letting out a sigh. She nudged on Black Widow's arm. "Hey, I'll be right back. I'm just gonna get a snack."

Black Widow smiled at her politely and nodded. "I'll tell you what happens when you get back."

"Could you bring me a pouch of carrot juice, too?" Dr. Hare said in a whisper. "Sure," she said, quietly anchoring down to her feet and swiftly going to the kitchen. It was only a simple round of checkers, but they treated any game with respect.

Hyper Hawk stepped into the kitchen and headed to the pantry for a light snack for herself. Binary Bard was sitting at the kitchen table alone and writing on a piece of paper. She retrieved a bag of potato chips and joined him at the table. "Hey," she said, "you wanna watch Crawfish and Director play against each other in checkers with us? They're in the living room."

"No thanks. I'm more of a Dungeons and Dragons person, if you ask me," he replied, not moving his head up to face her. She nodded and casually looked around the kitchen walls, occasionally glancing at his paper in slight curiosity. She took out a chip and held it in front of him. His eye traveled towards it and examined it. "What's this?"

"It's just a chip. You want it?"

He quickly turned over his paper and cautiously took the small snack from her hand. Binary Bard was not that bright on these modern aged foods, being from Astro Knights. His kinds of snacks in his past days mostly contained of nuts, berries, and raisins. He could not really control what was bought from the grocery store, since the job mostly belonged to Dr. Hare. It wasn't a mystery why they always had a supply of carrots in the fridge.

"It's salt and vinegar, in case you were wondering," she said. She looked at him, who was staring down at this certain snack intently. He swallowed down and mumbled, "What goes down must comes up."

Hyper Hawk rolled her eyes. "Just eat it, already."

He finally popped it in his mouth and ate it, then made a sour face. He wet his lips with his tongue. "Oh, you weren't lying about the 'salt and vinegar' part."

"So you don't like it."

"Blechh, I barely survived it," he admitted. "How can you people stand these chemical mixtures you call food?"

She shook her head. "Very grim, Mordred. Some people like me just like the taste of it, that's all. If we had regular potato chips, I'd let you have some."

"Yuck, the taste is still in my mouth! No, thank you."

She put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand while she watched him stick his tongue out his open mouth and frantically fan it with his hands. "You're being overly dramatic," she said He groaned at her and flipped over his paper to continue writing. Hyper Hawk rolled up the top of the bag down to where the chips sat. "What's that?"

"It's... a poem," he said shyly. She smiled and got up to return the bag in the pantry. "Oh, for Charlotte?"

He shook his head, still above the paper. "It's for all of my friends." Binary Bard glanced up at her, seeing that she was taking a juice pouch out of the fridge. "Would you like to hear it?" he asked. "I'd like to receive some honest feedback for it."

"Sure," Hyper Hawk said, coming beside him. Binary Bard adjusted his posture, turning his body towards her and looked down at his paper.

" _I don't know what I'd do_

 _If I hadn't friends like you_

 _I don't know where I'd be_

 _If you hadn't a friend like me..._ " He paused and glanced up at her to see if she was still listening, then continued reading.

" _You fellows were always there_

 _When I needed you most of all,_

 _You all could keep me standing_

 _Even when I fall_

 _We've been through many hard times_

 _None I could think to perceive,_

 _But I just wanted to say that I love you all_

 _And you're the best friends a man could receive._ "

His eye darted up to her as he finished. "Corny, isn't it? I was thinking of writing a different poem..." Hyper Hawk grinned at him. "No, that was actually really good. I loved it."

Sighing in relief, he put the paper down, face up, on the table. "You really mean that?"

"Uh huh. It's very sweet of you. Where'd you get the idea for it?"

He flashed a smile and glanced at the poem staring up at the ceiling. "It just came to me in a dream," he muttered. Hyper Hawk smiled at him and left the kitchen with the juice pouch in hand. He watched her walk away from him, then went to begin writing his different poem on the back of the paper when she completely left.

Back in the living room, Hyper Hawk walked up behind the couch where Dr. Hare sat and dangled the juice pouch in her hand over his head and in front of his face. He smirked and grabbed ahold of the bottom. "Thanks, Hawk."

"No problem." She walked around and slouched back on the soft couch. The three continued to watch the two friends play a nice game of checkers in harmony.

When Binary Bard thought he was finished with his poem, he lifted the paper and read it himself. _Is it really that good?_ he thought to himself. He read it over and over again, then smiled. If one of his friends thought it was good, then it was truly a masterpiece! He neatly folded it up and slipped it into his pocket. He wanted to join the others to watch his friends have a pleasant game with each other. If someone was to see the folded up piece of paper sticking out of his pocket, he would not be hesitant to show them. He knew that they would ask, since the entire back was blank; he had not written another poem at all. He was not able to, anyway. The pencil tip was broken right after he had finished the last stanza.


End file.
